Pasadena City Council passes resolution in opposition to Citizens United court decision

PASADENA>> The City Council Monday took action in support of a constitutional amendment that would reverse the controversial Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Six council members voted in favor of the resolution, which was brought to the Council at the request of local advocacy group Occupy Democracy Pasadena. Councilmen Terry Tornek and Gene Masuda abstained.

“This decision invalidated a century of local, state and federal legislation that restricted corporate and union spending in political campaigns,” Occupy Democracy’s Patrick Briggs said. “We are alarmed because the problem of unlimited campaign spending has not been confined to federal races ... and there is no reason to believe that Pasadena elections will be immune from this.”

The 2010 Supreme Court decision ruled that the First Amendment does not restrict corporations and labor unions from making monetary contributions to political campaigns.

Councilwoman Margaret McAustin said she supported the resolution because she thought the issue was important for Pasadena residents.

“I think this is something that filters right down to us and especially we ought to be attuned to it because we are elected and we understand how influential money can be even in our own local elections,” McAustin said.

Tornek said he agreed with the constitutional amendment but abstained from the vote because he didn’t think it was under the council’s purview.

“I think we should continue to focus our attention on the matters that we do have some control over,” Tornek said. “I think for example that election reform is certainly an issue that is meritorious and I think we should be considering term limits.”